This Invention relates to communications (IP) networks and in particular to the provision and delivery of services Including data and voice services to subscribers over such networks.
Broadband networks are becoming widely used to deliver services such as video, data and voice services to customers. Typically, these services are transported In packets In a connectionless manner using e.g. the Internet protocol (IP). Routing of packets within such a network is determined from information contained In the packet headers. These services originate from service providers, and a typical subscriber will have accounts with a number of these service providers. A particular problem In such an arrangement is that of providing each subscriber with the quality of service which he requires or demands for each particular service. This can be extremely difficult as the priority bits that are placed In the packet headers and are used in one network to identify the quality of service that has been guaranteed can become meaningless when the traffic passes through several nodes. It will be appreciated that different services will have different quality of service requirements ranging from the high quality demands of real time services, such as voice, to the best effort requirements of certain data services. In order to deliver such services, the network must be able to identify each service requirement and to provide sufficient bandwidth to deliver that requirement. This Is not always possible with existing networks.
A further problem is that of maintaining security of a user""s traffic from potential eavesdroppers in order to protect the content of the transmitted information. This can be a critical issue e.g. for financial institutions. Currently, this protection can only be effected by encryption, but this can be both complex and expensive to provide. Additionally, some forms of encryption may be subject to legal restrictions where traffic Is carried across national borders.
Reference is here directed to my co-pending applications Ser. No. 09/190,083: Ser. No. 09/190,082; and Ser. No. 09/190,081 which relate to methods and apparatus for label switching In connectionless e.g. IP networks.
An object of the Invention is to minimise or to overcome the above disadvantages.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement and a method for delivery of network services to a subscriber.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a network arrangement for delivering IP packet services to subscribers, wherein said services are transported In tunnels established across the network whereby to provide security of that traffic from third part access and to provide a guaranteed quality of service to traffic accepted into a said tunnel.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method delivering IP packet services to network subscribers, the method comprising establishing tunnels in the network, transporting said services in the tunnels whereby to provide security of that traffic from third party access, and accepting traffic into a said tunnel only where capacity is available so as to provide a guaranteed quality of service to traffic accepted into that tunnel.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a label switched media gateway for controlling subscriber access to a connectionless core network in which user traffic is routed via tunnels established therein, the gateway providing an interface between a plurality of subscriber terminals and being arranged to route user traffic across the network via tunnels of guaranteed capacity reserved for that traffic.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a network arrangement for delivering IP services to subscribers, the arrangement comprising a core network, a plurality of label switched media gateways coupled to the network and each providing an Interface for one or more subscriber terminals, a plurality of call servers associated with the network and arranged to establish connections between pairs of said gateways, and wherein said connections are routed across the core network via tunnels established therein, said tunnels being exclusively reserved for traffic between the label switched media gateways so as to provide security of that traffic from third party access and to provide a guaranteed quality of service.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling subscriber access to a connectionless network so as to provided controlled delivery of services to that subscriber, the method comprising routing traffic to and from said subscribers via tunnels established across the network, and controlling admission to a said tunnel by determining the currently available capacity of that tunnel so as to provide quality of service guarantees to accepted traffic.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a network arrangement for delivering IP services to subscribers, the arrangement comprising a core network, a plurality of label switched media gateways coupled to the network via respective edge nodes and each providing an interface for one or more subscriber terminals, a plurality of tunnels arranged in the core network in a full mesh between said edge nodes, each said tunnel having a predetermined traffic handling capacity and each being exclusively reserved for carrying traffic between a respective pair of said edge nodes, a plurality of call servers associated with the network and arranged to establish connections between pairs of said gateways via the respective edge nodes and tunnel, and wherein said call servers am arranged to determine the traffic occupancy of each said tunnel so as to accept new traffic into that tunnel only N sufficient capacity is available In that tunnel so as to provide a guaranteed quality of service for accepted traffic.
According to another aspect of the invention, were is provided a method of controlling subscriber access via edge nodes to a connectionless network so as to provided controlled delivery of services to the subscribers, the method comprising establishing a plurality of tunnels arranged in the network in a full mesh between said edge nodes, each said tunnel having a predetermined traffic handling capacity and each being exclusively reserved for carrying traffic between a respective pair of said edge nodes, determining in response to each subscriber request for service the available capacity of a said tunnel in which the subscriber traffic is to be routed, and accepting that subscriber request for service only if sufficient capacity Is available in hat tunnel so as to provide quality of service guarantees to accepted traffic.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a label switched media gateway for controlling subscriber access to a connectionless (IP) core network in which user traffic is rout via tunnels established therein, the gateway providing an interface between a plurality of subscriber terminals and the network, and being arranged to route user traffic across the network via tunnels of guaranteed capacity reserved for that traffic, the gateway comprising a plurality of proxies for translating IP addresses between the network and encapsulated Layer 3 addresses, the letter constituting an address space which is allocated dynamically for session services to said subscribers.
The label switched media gateway (LSMG) is placed at the customer access point of an IP network in order to enhance the services offered by the IP network operator to the subscriber. In particular, the gateway construction allows the IP network operator:
To offer the full range of PSTN/ISDN services as well as IP derived services.
To offer quality of service for the services supplied to customers with the same guarantees as currently offered on PSTN/ISDN or ATM networks.
To offer security from eavesdropping or malicious intrusion to customers using the network without needing to resort to the expense and complexity of encryption.
To allow the provision of extranet service between different users whilst maintaining security from eavesdropping and malicious intrusion from third parties without needing to resort to encryption.
In a preferred embodiment, traffic is routed across the network in dedicated tunnels which are reserved for the exclusive use of the label switched media gateways thus preserving security of the user traffic without the need for encryption. The call servers are aware of the current status of the network and the current occupancy of each tunnel bandwidth resources. Because traffic is accepted into a tunnel only if bandwidth is available in that tunnel, firm and meaningful quality of service guarantees can be given to users.
The tunnels may be provided on a permanent basis, or they may be established on demand.
In a preferred arrangement, routing of IP packets is performed by appending two labels to each IP packet, the first label Identifying the tunnel to be used, and the second identifying the destination gateway for that packet.